Bruce
Craig's complete summary of his findings regarding Alger Hiss
and his trip to Russia in February 1945 as part of the American
delegation to the Yalta Conference will be posted shortly.
Here is a brief preview and precis of Craig's forthcoming
article (still in progress):

According
to one interpretation of the so-called "ALES decrypt"
(VENONA cable, dated March 30, 1945) - an alleged meeting
took place between Hiss ("ALES" is identified by
the FBI as "probably Alger HISS") and Deputy Soviet
Foreign Minister, Andrei Vyshinski. The decrypt reads:

"After
the YALTA Conference, when he had gone to Moscow, a Soviet
personage in a very responsible position (ALES gave to understand
that it was Comrade VYSHINSKI) [then Deputy Soviet Foreign
Minister] allegedly got in touch with ALES and at the behest
of the Military NEIGHBORS passed on to him their gratitude
and so on."

Contrary
to assertions by Allen Weinstein, it appears that based on
the materials culled from the Edward Stettinius collection
alone (it is on deposit at the University of Virginia), a
very detailed chronology of Alger Hiss's itinerary during
the Moscow visit can be constructed and documented (often
by more than one independent source). His activities during
virtually every hour of the visit can be accounted for, and
it appears that opportunities for Hiss and Vyshinski to have
met privately are few.